OTTAWA - A new report says cancer and heart disease were responsible for just over half of Canada's 238,617 deaths in 2008.

And Statistics Canada reports cancer was the leading cause of death in every province and territory for the first time.

The agency says heart disease was the second-leading cause of death in every province and territory in 2008 — except Nunavut, where suicide ranked second.

Cancer accounted for 30 per cent of all deaths in 2008, followed by heart disease (21 per cent) and stroke (6).

Ranked in order, the other seven leading causes of death were chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents (unintentional injuries), diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, influenza and pneumonia, kidney disease and suicide.

StatsCan says these 10 leading causes accounted for 77 per cent of all deaths in 2008, compared with 80 per cent in 2000.

By age group, there were differences in the leading causes of death.

Congenital abnormalities were the leading cause of death for infants under one year of age, accidents (unintentional injuries) for people aged one to 34, cancer for those aged 35 to 84 and heart disease for those aged 85 and over.

For young adults aged 15 to 24, the top three causes of death in order were accidents, suicide and homicide.

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Leading Causes Of Death In Canada

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Rank: #1
Percentage: 30 per cent of deaths in Canada in 2008.
Prevention: More information about preventing cancer in Canada.

Rank: #2
Percentage: 21.3 per cent of deaths in Canada in 2008 (50,722 people per year).
Prevention: Here are some tips to prevent heart and stroke disease.

Rank: #3
Percentage: 5.8 per cent of deaths in Canada in 2008 (13,870 people per year).
Prevention: An apple a day could reduce risk of stroke.

Rank: #4
Percentage: 4.6 per cent of deaths in Canada in 2008 (10,923 people per year).
Prevention: Common symptoms of bronchitis and how to prevent it.

Rank: #5
Percentage: 4.3 per cent of deaths in Canada in 2008 (10,234 people per year).
Prevention: 10 ways to prevent accidents in your home.

Rank: #6
Percentage: 3.2 per cent of deaths in Canada in 2008 (7,521 people per year).
Prevention: How to prevent pre-diabetes from becoming type 2 diabetes.

Rank: #7
Percentage: 2.8 per cent of deaths in Canada in 2008 (6,573 people per year).
Prevention: 10 tips to prevent Alzheimer's disease.

Rank: #8
Percentage: 2.3 per cent of deaths in Canada in 2008 (5,386 people per year).
Prevention: 9 ways to avoid the flu this season.

Rank: #9
Percentage: 1.6 per cent of deaths in Canada in 2008 (3,846 people per year).
Prevention: Here are some tips to prevent kidney disease.

Rank: #10
Percentage: 1.6 per cent of deaths in Canada in 2008 (3,705 people per year).
Prevention: More information about preventing suicide in Canada.